Ali Shamkhani. FILE IMAGE: REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl
On Sunday, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani said in an interview with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) that Iran will close its border with the Iraqi Kurdistan Region if it declares its independence after the upcoming Kurdistan region referendum on September 25.
“Iran definitely recognizes only the united, integrated and federal government of Iraq … Any disruption to this strategic principle will lead to a serious reconsideration and change of the ongoing cooperation between Iran and the Kurdistan region,” Shamkhani said.
Shamkhani stressed that Iran will even end all agreements with the Kurdistan Region if carried on with its independence plan. The Iraqi Federal Government, Turkey and Syria are expected to announce similar procedures if the Kurdistan Region declares its independence. This will mean that the new Kurdish state could born under a heavy siege from all direction.
On Saturday, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim the Kurdistan Region independence referendum is “a matter of national security” to Turkey. Yildirim emphasized that Turkey will “take all necessary steps on this matter [the Kurdistan Region independence referendum].”
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told reporters on Sunday before departing for New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly the he will meet Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in the United States this week to discuss joint concerns about the upcoming Kurdistan Region independence referendum.
“We will have a meeting with Mr Abadi in the United States, and from what we can see our goal is the same. Our goal is not dividing Iraq,” Erdogan said to the reporters.
Furthermore, Erdogan said that Iraq and Turkey share the same opinion regarding the Kurdistan Region independence referendum. Erdogan also said that a rejection of the proposed alternative plan by Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani was “very wrong”.
In a related development, hundreds of Arabian Sunni and Shiite families fled Kirkuk city ahead of the upcoming referendum. Locals told the US-based Alhurra news TV channel that they escaped the city because they were being oppressed by Kurdish Peshmerga forces (a military force of the Kurdistan Regional Government).
Locals claimed that Peshmerga burned all the Iraqi flags and insulted Arabian residents in Kirkuk city. Some Arabian residents even claimed that they received death threats from Peshmerga fighters.
Other Iraqi sources claimed that Peshmerga even demolished dozens of houses that belong to Arab Sunnis in Kirkuk city. The Kurdistan Region Government decided that the referendum on September 25 will include Kirkuk city, although the city is an Arabian-Turkmen city with a little number of Kurdish residents.
I expect nothing less from Iran. The US would probably try to start a Kurdish insurgency in the western Iranian provinces next, in a bid to balkanize yet another country who dares to resist.
Iran is a very united country. It does not matter whether your are Persian, Turkmen, or Kurdish, Iran is one. I have seen many Kurdish people announcing that they do not want an independent Kurdistan in Iraq or Syria.
THERE WILL BE ALSO INSURGENCY OF ARAB AGAINST KURDS IN IRAQ FROM ALL DIRECTION SPECIALLY IN KIRKUK. ARAB WILL NOT SIT QUITE AND C THIER INSULT BY PHESMERGA SLAVE OF ZIONIST. WAR IS LOOMING IF BARZANI DO ANY STUPIDITY FOR OWN FAMILY BUSINESS AND MONEY
Absolutely! This gives them access to the Caspian Sea too!
Then there is the Kurds in Turkey!
This would give them a large area of coastline on the Black Sea!
ww3 is on the cards here!
Just imagine what Israel will do with these Kurdish regions and the US bases built within them! They will attack Iran without question!
Access to the Caspian? That’s amusing if some separatists are trying to achieve that. Of all the Kurdistan maps I’ve seen, none reach the Caspian.
“The Kurdish people live in the historical Kurdistan region, which today is split between Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Syria.[2] The estimated population is 35 million.”
IF they expand into Iran then YES it gives access to the Caspian Sea!
The Kurdish population within Iran are in the North West!
We all know that if a Kurdish state were to be created in Iraq and Syria then its likely that this expansion will continue in Iran (because Israel would like to push this by helping the Iranian Kurds)!
This is close to the Caspian Sea!
After that, it won’t take much effort to get the Azerbaijan population (Azeri’s) to also split! Then they have Caspian Sea access!
haha you funny kurd
you get gassed last
WTF dude, I hate the Kurds!
Im telling u this as a warning or a future prediction!
I want the Kurds fucked up!!!!
Maybe u should read a little closer!
Im on the side of Russia and Syria!
Kurds don’t care, they think they are gonna get support from the US/NATO/UN/ISRAEL/SAUDIs forever and ever and ever…
Newsflash kiddos: trump is only interested in you fools taking raqqa/isis and not much else…
After that, you will be tossed like a used towel…. and surrounded by ENEMIES THAT YOU MADE!
^.^
NO EXİT FOR KURDİSTAN… NO SKY TO PASS… NO SEA…..NO GROUND PASS
KURDİSTAN CANT ALİVE… SO !
kurds are the real losers, the pawnsitting duck for zionist’s last futile attempt in the syrian war
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council understands the necessity for patience and forbearance.
All Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran has to do is slam their borders and airspace shut and invest in some T72’s, T90’s, MLRS and MI-24’s to ensure they remain shut. Some BUK and S300’s will keep the war dogs off. They should have some autonomy, but it should not come with a standing army or weapons above a certain caliber as they have shown their true faces.
History tells us whoever got military support from the USA their future is doomed.
WAR IS COMING.. ONLY THING STOPPING IT NOW IS FAILURE OF THE REFERENDUM. THE U.S AND KURDS WANT WAR AND THEY ARE GONNA GET IT. HOWEVER I DON’T THINK THIS WILL END WELL FOR EITHER SIDE ESPECIALLY FOR THE KURDS. CHAOS THEORY IS ALIVE AND WELL. BUT THIS TIME DOUBT IT WILL PREVAIL..
It’s 1948 all over again. The Jews and their collaborators are trying to create another huge mess in the middle east to advance their colonization project. Only much of the world has grown tired of their perpetual trouble making and isn’t supporting it.
ethnic cleansing of Arabs by Kurdish invaders in Arab regions just as in Syria
KABOOM/KABOOM/KABOOM;
What a very pleasant sight to behold; Love you lots SAA and Russian
fighter pilots!Keep pummeling to the rats! We pray for more successful
missions! Keep fighting!
So Saddam was right after all…..
Ethnic-Kurdish smuggling syndicates currently run heroin, hashish and alcohol into Iran – a US protectorate Kurdish state-let, right next door to Iran, has all the makings of another corrupt narco-state – just like the NATO protectorate Kososvo is key heroin hub into Europe today.
Don’t forget the South Sudan that became independent with US support. For some reason South Sudan has refused to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.